28May13

Syria slams EU's lift of arms embargo on rebels

Syria's Foreign Ministry slammed on Tuesday the European Union's latest
decision to lift an arms embargo on armed opposition as "hindering the
international efforts to politically solve the Syrian crisis."

"While keeping the economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, the EU
allowed some of its members to render weapons to the terrorists in Syria
contrary to what they claim about their concern over the interests of the Syrian
people," the ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run SANA news
agency.

Singling out Britain and France for criticism, the ministry said the decision
revealed those country's "political hypocrisy."

A day earlier, the EU decided to lift arms embargo on Syria's opposition after
France and Britain threw all their weight behind the ban-lift during marathon
negotiations in Brussels amid reports that 25 of 27 EU governments opposed
the Anglo-French policy.

Meanwhile, the Syrian ministry said the decision runs counter to the
international law and the charters of the United Nations.

[Source: Xinhua, Damascus, 28May13]

This document has been published on 29May13 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a
prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes.